Automobile sun protector



M y 23, 1950 o. A. GRAY 2,508,757

AUTOMOBILE SUN PROTECTOR Filed April 7, 1947 INVENTOR.

O IVE 14. 6164 Y B Y A rraeA/EY Patented May 23, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE SUN PROTECTOR Olive A. Gray, Santa Monica, Calif.

Application April 7, 1947, Serial No. 739,781

This invention relates to a collapsible and detachable protective covering for an automobile or other vehicle.

More specifically, my attachment may be employed as a sun shade for a car so that prolonged exposure to the suns rays will not promote such active deterioration of the external paint on the auto body as heretofore.

It is an important object to provide such a shade mounted on a series of separate transverse frame detachably secured to an automobile.

An important advantage of my invention resides in a construction of the supporting frames whereby the shade and frames may be jointly rolled into a small compact bundle for storage.

Another purpose is the provision of such an assembly, wherein the frames and shade can be quickly and easily attached to structures other wise necessarily present on an automobile, such as the front and rear bumpers and the door handles.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims, the novelty consisting in the features of construction, combination of parts, the unique relations of the members and. the relative proportioning, disposition, and operation thereof, all as more completely outlined herein and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, which form part of the present specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an automobile upon which my sun shade is mounted.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view in end elevation, seen from the rear, of the front supporting frame.

Figure 3 is a detail view in horizontal section through the front frame and bumper, taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the central, transverse, shade-supporting frame.

My vehicle sun protector, designated generally at It, is formed of a sheet i2 of flexible substantially opaque material such as canvas which is suspended over the auto body [4 in a generally rectangular shape by a series of transverse frame [6, l8, and 20.

The forward frame [6 is here mounted on the front bumper 22 of the car, there being an upwardly opening socket member 24 affixed to the inner face of the bumper at approximately the center thereof. A tubular upright 26 is provided with a solid terminal portion 28, non-circular in cross section, which is seated in the socket and locked in place as by a cotter pin 30 inserted through aligned apertures in the socket member and in the upright. Conveniently, the cotter pin is attached to one end of a short chain 3| which is secured at its other end to the upright 26, so that upon withdrawal of the cotter pin and re- 4 Claims. (Cl. 135-5) 2 moval of the upright from the socket, the pin will be retained with the upright.

Slidably mounted in the upright 26 is a. rod 32 bearing on its upper extremity a T-shaped bracket 34, the rod 32 being anchored at the desired elevation within the upright by a suitable locking screw 36. The vertical portion of the T- bracket 34 is hollow so as to receive therein the upper end of the rod 32, the two being fastened together by a second cotter pin 38 tied to the rod 32 as by a chain 4!] similar to the fashion in which the lower pin 30 is secured against accidental loss.

The horizontal section of the T-bracket 34 is formed in two segments 42 and 44, each separate from the vertical part and having their common edge in axial alignment with the vertical portion. Segment 42 is hingedly attached to its opposite segment 44 by a hinge 46 located along the upper edge of the two, and is similarly [connected to the upright portion by a, hinge 48 secured to the lower surface of the segment 42. In this manner, the segment 44 can be folded over on segment 42, and the two segments by the hinge 48 then disposed parallel to the vertical portion of the T-bracket 34. ,In the open end of each horizontal segment 42 and 44 of the T-bracket 34, there is inserted a longitudinal arm 50 and 52 respectively, which arms lie in a transverse hem defining the front edge of the flexible sheet l2 and from which in turn a short panel 12 of the shade material hangs down along the front of the car.

In order to lock the two horizontal segments 42 and 44 of the T-bracket in rigid position when their corresponding extension arms 50 and 52are inserted therein, there is provided a cylindrical "Bolt 5: axially slidable within the two arms and having an outwardly extending pin or handle 53 disposed in an inverted U-shaped .or bayonet slot 55 of the T segment 42. When the pin is moved to the end of the slot nearest the plane of abutment of the T segments, the forward end of the bolt extends into the farther extension arm 52, thereby preventing movement of the top hinge 46. When the pin is drawn back in the slot, the bolt is then housed entirely within the extension arm 50, thus permitting use of the hinge 46 to fold the two extension arms together.

Preferably, the rear frame 20'is constructed similarly to the front frame 16, comprising a rod 32a attached to the rear bumper by a socket (not shown) similar to the socket 24, and having an upper, medial T-bracket 34a carrying a pair of axially aligned, foldable, shade supporting arms 50a, and 52a. 7

' Intermediate the front and rear frames, the shade I2 is supported by the frame l8 which is composed of a pair of horizontal arms 54 and 56 joined together at their inboard ends by a hinge 58, and preferably also attached to the under surface of the flexible sheet I2 by being received within a transversely extending fold of the sheet stitched-todefine a tubular, looped portion similar to a hem except for the fact that it is formed in the intermediate portion of the sheet. The outer end of each arm is hingedly attached to a vertical rod 60 and 62, and the lower end of each rod 60, 62 is formed into a horizontarsleeve 64 in which to receive the adjacent-handle :66 of the auto door.

Along each side edge 68 of theshadethere is provided a horizontal row of snap fasteners "ID; to which may be attached an additional side panelof shade material, asindicated in broken lines in Figural.

The described structure may be dismounted quickly 1 and easily in accordance with""the "following procedure: both locking boltsfSl should be retract'edarid one of'theisleeves 6'4, say the sleeved l carried by thereof 52, should be removed fromiits associated "door handleGB. The entire proxi-malside' of thesun 'shadeca'n'then be folded upwards and over'onto the opposite'side, folding the n xible sheet"l2"lengthwise and lettingthe arms52f58, and 52a come to rest upon'the arms 51],54, and 56a, respectively.

The rod 62, which then extends vertically upwards, can be swung downwards into folding position closely adjacent "the arm'56. "Thero'ds 32 and 32a'can'then be withdrawnfromthei'r respective upright supporting tubesit, thusreleasing the fiexible sheetof "shade material andthe three supporting frames 16, l8,a'nd 2ll"fr'o'in 'the car. Owing-to the hinged conn'ection"fi8between the rods '32 and32a andthe"T-'shapedbrackets 3E and 34a, the rods32 an'd'SEac'an then be folded into position closely adjacent and paralleltdthe rods50 and 52, andthe rods 5nd and'52a,res'pe'ctively. Therefore, the ro'ds'32, 50, and '52Jof'the forward frame it will be arranged so compactly, as will also the ro'ds'BZa' 'Eila, and52'a'o'f the after 'frame 'i8,,as well as'the rods 54, 56,150, and62 of the intermediatefra'me, that the entire "shade, exclusive of the tubular upright"26, ca"n berolled into a compact bundle with the foldedrig'id frame members wrapped securely within "the sheet "or shade material so that the bundle, when'stcred within thecars'luggage compartment, will be prevented from rattlin'g. Thetubular upright 'members 26' maybe left'in'the bumper sockets 24 or removed therefrom if desired.

will be understood readily, mounting "the structure inoperative position upon the automobile is "accomplished by "a procedure whichis substantially the reverse or that "described for its "dismounting.

It is'thus evident that I'have produced'afhighly effective auto body protector Whichma'ybe assemble'd and disassembled in a very shorttirne andwhich requires onlytwo mounting fixtures not already on the car,"namely thefro'nt and rear bumper sockets (24). Ifmore than 'thetop sun shade I2 is desiredfthetriple'frames canas well support side panels of similar material around the four'sides of the car so as to provide complete protection "of the vehicle from dust, rain, spray or' vapors. Thus, sucha protective shade may be'used over a freshly-paintedauto toallowit to dry, out of reach of dust currents. Likewise, near the sea coast, cars may be stored insuch protective envelopes toprotect'them'from Salt-air.

While I have shown and described in some detail a presently preferred embodiment of my auto sun protector, it is to be understood that various modifications may be made in the construction andoperation'thereof' within the scope of-the subsequently claimed invention-Which is to be construed broadly and limited only by the Eprior art.

I claim: 1. "Anautomobile sun protector comprising: a Zpa-ir of socket members attached to the front and rear bumpers, respectively, of said automobile;a ttlb'ular upright disposed in each of said sockctsya rod slidably mounted in each of said tubular uprights; a 'Ffshaped bracket secured tothe upperendof each of --said rods, the-horizontal .por-tion of said T-shaped bracket. being diametrically split above the vertical portion, said splitportionsbeing hingedly connected to each other and one of the split rportions being hingediy securedto the vertical. portion whereby all three segments of the -T-bracln-it may be collapsed parallel to each other'ina verticalplane; a supporting arm inserted in each horizontal segment of each of said T -bracesyand a shade attached tothe several of said supportingarms so astobesuspended above the automobile. v

2. The-sun protector of claim 1 which addition- -ally;ccntains a collapsibleframe attached to said shade intermediate said supporting arms, said framebeing formedby-atpair-of horizontal arms adapted to lie acrossthe topof said automobile, which arms are hingedlyconnected to each-other at their proximal ends, and a vertical rod hingedly attached to .the outer end of each horizontal arm and having engaging means on its lower. end adaptedto secure the-rod to a, doorhandle of the automobile. V e 7 3. 'JJhesun protector of claim l whichiadditionally v-contains locking means on each of 'said T- braces-to secure the horizontal arms thereof in outstretched position.

A sun protector rforan automobile having front and-rear bumpers and door handles spaced outwardly from the sides of said automobileiand extending horizontally in a substantially fore and-aft-:direction, comprising a flexible shade, a frame associated with each end of said shade, means for releasably: mounting said frames upon the front-andrear tempera-respectively, of said automobile, and means for supporting said shade intermediate its ends comprising a transversely extending bar, .-a rod extending downwards I from each end of said bar, and a tubular sleeve rigid with and disposed withits axis substantiallyperpendicularto-the lower end of each of said rods,

each cfsaid sleeves being open at at least one .end thereof. to receiveone of said doorhandles therein rand being of substantiallength whereby the associated-rod is supportedby said handle and is restrained thereby from-falling either forwards or backwards with respect to said-automobile. OLIVE AGRAY.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1352739108 'Noble Feb. 24,1925 115331164 1' sk dg "May 19, 1925 means 'S'ebll Dec. arcs!) 1,836,060 Barnes DeC. 15, I931. 

